Selected A “Best Value College”—Again

Published: February 6, 2017

By Michael Uhlenkamp

With a combination of increasing graduation rates, low sticker price and robust financial aid among other factors, CSULB was again selected as a “Best Value College” in ratings announced Dec. 15 by Kiplinger. CSULB earned a spot on both the overall list, which combines private and public colleges and universities, as well as the list of public colleges.

“Securing a spot on the Kiplinger list is great recognition of our incredible faculty and staff’s hard work, long hours and campus-wide commitment to improving student achievement,” said President Jane Close Conoley.

Among the factors reviewed by Kiplinger when compiling the list include competitiveness (admission rates and percentage of admitted students who enroll), graduation rates, academic support, cost and financial aid, student indebtedness and future salaries.

With steadily improving retention rates and record-high six-year graduation rates, CSULB is expanding efforts to improve four-year graduation rates. The university has also increased access to high-impact practices such as undergraduate research and service learning which have been proven to enhance student achievement. Additionally, tuition and fees continue to remain considerably lower than those of other public four-year universities as does student loan debt and the percentage of students who take on loans. The mid-career median salaries of CSULB graduates are nearly 20 percent higher than the national average of grads from public universities.